Heaven and Earth
by swaswj
Summary: A brief moment of insecurity and compassion following the Tenth Question. Naruto/Sakura NaruSaku


mf, rom, non-H

Heaven and Earth  
by Will

"If you do accept the question, but answer it incorrectly. You will not only fail… _you will be barred from taking the Chuunin exam ever again_!"

Sakura stared incredulously at the test proctor. _Thanks a lot,_ she thought sarcastically._ So if any one of us chooses to skip then all three of us fail? Forget it, that's not gonna happen! But on the other hand, you only get one shot: screw up and you'll _never_ get another chance. Either way it stinks! This is so unfair, why couldn't they just give us a normal test?_

After a long moment to let the rules sink in, Ibiki went on, "Now then, if you're ready: the tenth and final question. Those who don't want to take it, raise your hand. Your number will be recorded and then you're free to go."

The young kunoichi grinned smugly. _Well, I'm ok. He's not getting me to chicken out! No way I'm raising my hand… but what about Naruto? _Sakura looked ahead at her blond-headed teammate with concern._ He doesn't stand a chance, _she thought worriedly._ Go on, Naruto, put your hand up. It's ok, don't worry about us, there's always next year. Just think of yourself._

Even though Naruto was a nuisance, she didn't want him to lose any chance of becoming a Chuunin. All he had to do was raise his hand… she would understand completely. She'd even try to explain it to Sasuke if he didn't accept it.

Shattering the tense silence in the room, the guy next to Naruto stood up, his shoulders slumped. "I'm out," he said, "That's it, I'm out! I just can't do it, I'm sorry."

One of the judges on the left immediately responded, "Number 50, failed. Number 130, number 110: that means you're out, too."

"Genai, Inaho, I'm sorry guys. I'm sorry!" the genin said remorsefully. Sakura turned to watch the three of them walk out, even as more hands were raised. Her eyes widened as the pressure became too much, as team after team quit. Soon enough, she and her squad would be walking out that door as well.

Sakura looked again at her teammate. _Go on, Naruto, why don't you raise your hand? _Even from back here, she could see him trembling. _Naruto…_

"Someday I'm going to be a Hokage and you'll look up to me! My name's Naruto Uzumaki, remember it!" she remembered him shouting confidently. Sakura thought of how the bridge-builder had insulted him and he angrily responded, "Agh! _Shut_ up! I'm willing to do _anything_ to become Hokage, no matter what it takes!"

Then there was the time when he told Kakashi-sensei that his dream was "-- to be the greatest Hokage! Then the whole village will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody, somebody important!"

_Hokage, Hokage… he has a one-track mind. A dream's all he's got. It would kill him to have it taken away forever, but he's too stubborn to raise his hand. _

How could she sit back and watch Naruto crush his own dream for her sake? _I can't let you do it to yourself, Naruto. _Sakura smiled sadly and tentatively started to raise her hand.

She stopped, dumbfounded, as Naruto's trembling hand lifted into the air.

How? Why? Naruto never gave up, even when he had no chance! She thought of how he went head-on against Kakashi-sensei, against Zabuza, even against that Haku kid. Sakura's eyes turned to the expressionless Ibiki. Could his words really be _that_ intimidating?

Suddenly, Naruto's hand slammed down into the desk. "Don't underestimate me!" he shouted in front of everyone, "I don't quit and I don't run." Sakura stared, dumbfounded but relieved. "You can act tough all you want, you guys aren't gonna scare me off, no way! I don't care if I _do_ get stuck as a genin for the _rest of my life_," he shouted even louder, getting to his feet, "I'll _still_ be Hokage someday!"

Naruto dropped back into his seat with his arms crossed.

Sakura smiled proudly at him, though she was still worried. _Way to go, you crazy little fool._

Ibiki calmly replied, "This decision is one that could change your life. If for any reason you would rather quit, now's your last chance."

Smugly, Naruto told him, "No way, I never go back on my word. That's my way of the ninja."

The kunoichi smiled at the back of his head.

The test proctor slowly looked around the room. Nobody else was going to raise their hand. Even if he was a fool for staying, who could ever live it down if _Naruto_, who had failed at the academy three years in a row, who finally graduated with the worst grades in the class, stayed and somehow passed?

Ibiki looked over toward the judges, who nodded back at him. Turning back to the class, the proctor lowered his head as he began speaking again. Sakura tensed; _this is it, the final question. Come on, Naruto!_ "Well I admire your determination, if nothing else. For those of you remaining, there's only one thing left to do. And that's for me to tell you…"

He paused dramatically and then looked up with a grin, "that you've all passed the first exam!"

* * *

Still feeling a bit dazed, Sakura looked around the crowd of departing genin, trying to find Naruto. Not seeing him, she jogged over to Sasuke-kun. Sakura grabbed him by the shoulder and he turned to look her way. His hot raven-black eyes made her heart beat faster.

"Which way did Naruto go?" she asked him.

A slight grin split his well-worn expression of cool disinterest. "That loser?" He nodded his chin in the other direction. "He went off that way." With that, Sasuke-kun turned and started walking down the stairs.

_He's not a loser!_ she thought angrily. _At least…not today!_ Sakura fumed, but turned around and started walking down toward the other end of the hallway. Why would Naruto be heading this way?

The empty halls seemed barren, isolated, especially after being among so many genin. Sakura rounded the first corner and saw Naruto up ahead, leaning against the rails of the landing. The girl stopped in mid-step: even from back here, she could see the slump in his shoulders. _What? That's not like him at all_.

Quickening her pace now, Sakura rushed over to him. "Hey Naruto!" she called out, trying to sound extra cheerful. The orange-coated genin turned at the sound of her voice. _What's with that look in his eyes? _Sakura thought.

"Sakura-chan..?" Naruto asked in surprise. Quickly, he turned back away from her, looking over the railing. The girl came to a halt close behind him.

_I don't get it_, Sakura thought as she watched him. _Why's he acting like he's scared? C'mon, Naruto, that's not the knucklehead ninja I know!_ "Naruto…is everything alright?" she asked tenderly.

"Everything's great, Sakura-chan!" he said too loudly, without turning toward her.

She started to ask what really was wrong, but instead Sakura laid her hand on his shoulder. "Naruto…you did great in there today." The blond genin didn't say anything, but Sakura saw his hand starting to tremble. After an uncomfortable silence, she squeezed his shoulder softly. "You really had us worried, you know?" _Even though Sasuke-kun would never admit to it_!

"I…" Naruto began, and then stopped, shaking his head. Sakura waited for him to go on. When he didn't, she prodded him. "I…really could have blown it, in there."

_Is that it?_ Sakura thought with relief. _It's ok, Naruto, you have no reason to feel guilty!_ "Don't worry about it, Naruto. I mean, I came really close to skipping out on the Chuunin exams, and that would've made you guys fail, too."

Naruto's knuckles tightened on the wooden railing. "No, I mean…I really could have messed up in there. I knew right away that I could never do that to you guys! I never imagined giving up." _Then, what's the problem..?_ "But I…" His hands started shaking harder now.

"I had to accept that I could lose my shot at Hokage!"

Sakura reared back in surprise at the trembling fear in his voice. "Naruto…" Sakura started, but he kept on going.

"I mean, I failed at the Academy three times in a row! Even when I did graduate, it was with the lowest scores in the class! I couldn't answer a single question on that exam!" _Whoa, he didn't answer even one?_

"Naruto," Sakura said, more forcefully. _No…no, stop this! This isn't the same Naruto!_

"All down to one question, pass or fail?" he went on, getting louder and more hysterical. "If I got it wrong, I'd never be a Chuunin! But if I turned it down, you guys fail, too! How can I ever be Hokage if I betray my squad? How can I be Hokage if I run --!"

_Stop it! _"Naruto!" Sakura shouted, yanking on his shoulder so that he was facing her. Nearly in tears herself, the kunoichi squeezed Naruto tightly, stopping his tirade. Sakura looked into his watery eyes and then leaned forward and gave him a peck on the cheek. "You did great, Naruto," she said quietly, as he stared back at her, completely dumbfounded.

_I can't believe I just did that,_ Sakura thought in a panic. _My first time ever kissing a boy, and instead of Sasuke-kun, I kissed _Naruto! _But it wasn't a really a _kiss_ kiss!_ What would a real kiss have been like, she wondered? What would it feel like? Taste like? What if she tried to kiss Sasuke-kun and he didn't like it?

Shouldn't she try it at least once before that? Just once?

Still staring into each other's eyes, her hands on his shoulders, Sakura leaned forward once more, this time pressing her lips against Naruto's. The boy stood there like a frightened rabbit as she kissed him, feeling the warmth of his lips.

_No, no, _no! she thought to herself, _I can't be doing this!_ Sakura turned and broke away, only to feel a tug on her arm. She turned, seeing Naruto looking at her longingly, holding onto her wrist. He gave another small tug, and Sakura didn't resist; she didn't even try to resist.

She practically threw herself back against him, flinging her arms around Naruto's neck as he kissed her – not just standing there as she kissed him, but kissing her back! The orange-coated genin wrapped his arms around her waist, and Sakura melted into the feeling of his lips on hers, his mouth on hers.

An invigorating tingle shot down her spine and Naruto pulled her even tighter. A dozen kisses melded into one extraordinarily long one as Sakura was consumed by the heat of his lips, the taste of his mouth, and the feel of his arms. They were joined together like heaven and earth.

Could Sasuke possibly be any better than this?

Sasuke-kun! _No, no, I have to stop this!_

Desperately, Sakura pushed Naruto away and started calling up her chakra…

* * *

Naruto tightened his embrace as he kissed Sakura-chan. He didn't know how or why this was happening, but it was like a dream come true!

"Naruto!"

Too much like a dream. The hallway around him started to come back into focus, and Naruto found himself staring into Sakura-chan's bright green eyes. "Sakura-chan..?" he started, still stuck somewhere between her lips and this hallway.

"I said you did great today, Naruto," Sakura-chan said, looking at him with concern. "Are you ok?"

Confused, Naruto nodded. "I'm just fine, dattebayo! Thank you, Sakura-chan," he added, "I really needed that! C'mon let's go find Sasuke."

Sakura smiled and nodded. She turned and the two of them started walking back down the hall.

_I wonder if she's getting a fever_, Naruto thought, having seen how red her face was.


End file.
